A- Have you ever bristled
when somebody you barely know,
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somebody you don't even respect,
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starts telling you what to do?
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There might be
a reason for that.
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So stick around for
today's episode of Authentic.
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[gentle snappy music]
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At the time, it was
one of the biggest projects
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of my career, a
nationwide live event
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that linked countless
auditoriums together by
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satellite. Now, this was before
the internet really became
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widespread, and so the best way
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we knew of to connect
distant groups of people
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in real time was to
bounce a signal off a satellite
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and put inexpensive
dishes on hundreds of buildings.
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Now, it wasn't really
a new idea at the time,
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and it wasn't original with me,
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but it had never
been done up in Canada,
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and so I was eager to try it.
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We rented a main auditorium
out on the eastern edge
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of the country because if
you start an event at 7:30,
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it's much easier to time delay
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and send the signal backwards
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to the earlier time zones
than the other way around.
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Trust me, I've tried
it in both directions.
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So this event ran
for about five weeks
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and it ran five nights a week
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and I was pretty happy
about the way it turned out.
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And when I flew back to
my home office near Toronto,
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I was a really happy camper.
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But then about a week
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after the event was
over, a handful of people,
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just a tiny handful,
started phoning me to complain.
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And it was only a few,
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but sometimes when you're
really tired, it can start
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to feel like the complainers
are overshadowing the overall
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success of a project.
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And, and I'm
guessing it goes the same
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way just about everywhere.
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A handful of whiners
can really throw a bucket
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of cold water on your hard work
and your sacrificial effort.
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You've likely been through this.
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You can have a hundred
people working on something
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and it seems like it
only takes a couple of people
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to destroy everybody's
level of contentment.
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You could build a
really vibrant church,
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but there will
always be a handful who seem
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to think they've
been called by God
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to take everybody
else down a notch.
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And I don't just
mean that figuratively,
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I've actually met people
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who think it's
their God-appointed duty
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to critique other people,
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even though they
sometimes don't have much
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of a resume of their own.
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These are the people who
love to sit on the sidelines
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and throw stones.
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They never seem to do
anything constructive.
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And when you talk to them
about their constant negativity,
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they'll tell you that
they're keeping everybody honest
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as if they've been nominated
The chief fault finder.
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So I got this
phone call from the head
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of a small organization
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and he seemed a little
put out that I had dared
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to plan this whole
event without consulting Him.
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"Why didn't you ask me
about how this should be done?"
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He said, "I'd think
that you'd want to know
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that I was in favor of
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what you were
doing before you did it."
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You know, I'm, I'm
seldom at a loss for words,
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but that was one occasion
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where I really
didn't know what to say.
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I mean, where
does this guy get off?
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What made Him think I needed
his permission to do something?
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And I'm guessing if
you're human, you've gone
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through something similar.
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In fact, it happened
again just a few years ago
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when I put out a simple
questionnaire asking people
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what they thought of the
program we just completed,
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kind of like a
customer satisfaction survey,
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and 90% of the feedback
we got was really useful.
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But imagine my surprise
when I received a completed form
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that had an extra note
scribbled across the bottom,
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demanding that I preach
something they wanted to hear,
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and then they wrote, God is
making you accountable to us.
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You know, I've never
been able to figure out
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why it is that some
people who develop a burden
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for some kind of
theological idea,
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never seem to
wanna do the hard work
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of building a
ministry of their own.
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What they want
is for someone else
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to pick up the burden for them
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and sometimes in
the world of religion,
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they'll throw God
into the mix hoping
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that they make you feel
obliged to do what they want.
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God told me,
you're gonna do this.
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You know, it it, it takes a
lot of chutzpah to recruit God
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to your own cause
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and use his authority
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to guilt people
into doing what you want.
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But I'm sure you've seen it
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and tragically most people kind
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of let these
folks get away with it.
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They become religious bullies
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or they start to
split a congregation
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or in the worst case scenario,
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they can even
become cult leaders,
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and this is one of
those moments when a sense
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of pride
actually comes in handy.
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Because when somebody
claims to have some kind
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of divine authority
over you, there's something,
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something in your
makeup that starts to scream
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just who do you think you are?
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And in that case, rightfully so.
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Look, most of us right
from childhood push back
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against the notion of authority.
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When we're toddlers, we don't
want help from our parents.
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Not all the time I
can do this myself.
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Then you'll notice
that teenagers begin
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to differentiate
themselves from their parents
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trying to figure
out who they are.
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And mom and dad's authority
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starts to rub
their fur wrong way.
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If you've ever raised kids
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or you've ever
been an adolescent,
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you'll know roughly
which years I'm talking about.
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Then later on when we
entered the workforce,
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we learned to control our
impulse toward independence
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because the person
telling you what to do
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is probably also the
person signing your paycheck.
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And because you don't
wanna lose that paycheck,
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you'll sometimes
wait till you get home
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to express your displeasure.
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You might even find yourself
muttering about the things you
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should have said to the
boss on the drive back home.
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Most of us don't really
like having other people
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tell us how to live.
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I mean, sometimes you do.
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We will submit ourselves
to the advice of a consultant
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or a life coach, and
we'll even pay for that.
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When you're just
getting started in life,
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you could take advantage
of more experienced people
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who are willing to mentor you.
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It's something
that smart people do.
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And in those cases,
we don't feel threatened
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because we gave
these people permission.
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And you can always take the
permission back if you don't
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like the way
things are playing out,
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it's voluntary.
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It's when you
don't have a choice
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that things get a
little more complicated.
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When a traffic cop tells you,
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you will not be taking
your current route home
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or when an unsympathetic judge
will not listen to your case
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and gives you the
maximum possible fine,
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or when you're
arrested and put in jail
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and now somebody
else tells you exactly
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how you're gonna spend your
day, what time you're gonna eat,
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what time
you're gonna go to bed.
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Or let's say you end up
in a nursing home and now
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after running your
own life for decades,
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somebody barely out
of college is telling you
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what you're allowed to eat
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and when you're allowed
to sit in the common area,
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now it's
involuntary, even coercive.
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And that really gets to us,
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especially here in
the very independent west.
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Now, where am I
going with this idea?
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Well, it turns out that the
world of religion is saturated
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with the concept of
authority, not the least
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of which is the
authority that God claims
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to have over our lives.
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Honestly, I think that's
really the biggest problem
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that most people have
with the claims of the Bible.
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It's a book that says you
are accountable to somebody
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and that doesn't sit
right with a lot of folks,
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but exactly who is
this abstract distant deity
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who claims that he's in charge?
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Who says that I
have to do what God says?
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Look, I'm a practicing
Christian and a minister,
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but I'll be honest, I
still struggle with that
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because I'll open
a book like the Bible
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and suddenly realize that
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what the prophets wrote
all those hundreds of years ago
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is about to
interfere with something
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that I wanna do with my life,
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and it offends my
sense of personal autonomy.
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It leaves me with a choice.
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I can either make the necessary
changes in my life to adapt
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to the biblical point of
view and try to live my life
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and harmony with the will of God
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Or I can close the book
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and pretend
that I didn't see it,
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which in the long run
doesn't make much sense
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because well, if
the Bible is real,
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you'd be a fool to ignore it.
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And if it isn't real,
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what harm is there
in just reading it?
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I'll be right back after this.
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[gentle music]
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- [Announcer] Here at
The Voice of Prophecy,
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we're committed to
creating top quality programming
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for the whole family, like
our audio adventure series,
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Discovery Mountain.
00:08:33.01\00:08:34.74
Discovery Mountain
is a bible-based program
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for kids of all
ages and backgrounds.
00:08:37.21\00:08:39.55
Your family will enjoy
the faith building stories
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from this small
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With 24 seasonal
episodes every year
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and fresh content every week,
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there's always a new
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- I know that some of you aren't
really sure that God exists
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or maybe you don't believe it,
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but just humor me for a moment
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and let's
pretend that God is real.
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If there is a
supreme being an intelligence
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that created this universe,
you would have to think
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that he would possess
an awful lot of authority
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just because of who he is.
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I mean, one of the reasons
your parents have authority
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when you're a kid is
because they're responsible
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for your existence.
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They brought you into this world
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and they're highly
invested in making sure
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you become a responsible,
well adjusted adult.
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There's a reason that the laws
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of most countries in most
cultures invest a high degree
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of authority and
responsibility in parents.
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That authority is just natural.
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So now let's
suppose that God is real
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and He is the
source of your life.
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The only reason you
exist is because God exists.
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At the very least that
would make you dependent on Him.
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In that famous story
where Moses meets the Almighty,
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he asks God to
identify Himself more clearly
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and this is the
answer he gets from God.
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"And God said to
Moses, 'I am who I am.
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And He said, 'Thus, you shall
say to the children of Israel,
00:10:06.03\00:10:08.64
I am has sent me to you.'"
00:10:08.64\00:10:11.31
Now, this is easily one of
the grandest titles ever claimed
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by any deity in any
religion, in all time.
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The gods of pagan mythology,
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you'll notice like
to flex their muscles
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and remind the human
race that they are bigger
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and more powerful than us,
so we better listen or else.
00:10:24.15\00:10:28.02
But the God who met Moses
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at that burning bush explains
Himself a little differently.
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He says that he's self-existent.
00:10:33.60\00:10:35.60
He doesn't
depend on anything else
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or anybody else for his being.
00:10:37.47\00:10:40.10
When it comes to the God of
the Bible, if you're looking
00:10:40.10\00:10:42.14
for cause and effect, if
you're looking for chains
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of causality
when it comes to God,
00:10:44.97\00:10:46.64
you're not gonna find them
because this God is uncaused.
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Then we have this description
over in the book of Isaiah
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where God continues
to underline the fact
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that He exists quite
apart from the usual constraints
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of time and space.
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Listen to this,
"For thus says the high
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and lofty one who inhabits
eternity, whose name is holy,
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I dwell in the
high and holy place."
00:11:07.60\00:11:11.13
Now, that's a lot to
wrap your mind around
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because nothing we know,
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nothing in our human experience
actually inhabits eternity.
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Thanks to Albert Einstein,
00:11:19.51\00:11:21.24
we've only just begun to
understand how time actually
00:11:21.24\00:11:24.21
works and what we're
finding is kind of mind blowing.
00:11:24.21\00:11:27.48
But we do know this,
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nothing in our
experience can possibly exist
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unless it exists for a
definite period of time,
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that makes time
the fourth dimension.
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In order for something to exist,
00:11:37.93\00:11:39.26
it has to have
height, width, and depth,
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and it has to inhabit all
three of those dimensions,
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but that it also has to exist
for a given amount of time.
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Now, that's the
nature of our existence.
00:11:49.54\00:11:51.24
We live in a well-defined space
00:11:51.24\00:11:53.44
at a particular
spot on the planet,
00:11:53.44\00:11:55.61
and usually we do it
for seven or eight decades.
00:11:55.61\00:11:59.15
Our existence is fleeting,
00:11:59.15\00:12:00.65
we're here one
minute and gone the next.
00:12:00.65\00:12:02.42
And it reminds me of something
I read in the book of James
00:12:02.42\00:12:05.19
where it says, "Come
now, you who say, 'Today
00:12:05.19\00:12:08.09
or tomorrow, we will go to such
00:12:08.09\00:12:09.52
and such a city, spend
a year there, buy and sell
00:12:09.52\00:12:12.49
and make a profit.'
00:12:12.49\00:12:13.86
Whereas you do not know
what will happen tomorrow
00:12:13.86\00:12:16.40
for what is your life, it
is even a vapor that appears
00:12:16.40\00:12:19.37
for a little time
and then vanishes away."
00:12:19.37\00:12:23.30
That's how it
works for you and me.
00:12:23.30\00:12:25.91
But when God describes Himself,
00:12:25.91\00:12:27.78
he tells us that
He inhabits eternity.
00:12:27.78\00:12:29.91
In other words, he's
not restricted by the usual
00:12:29.91\00:12:33.42
constraints of time and space.
00:12:33.42\00:12:34.98
I know that's really hard
for us to wrap our heads around
00:12:34.98\00:12:37.72
because we've got a
really limited experience
00:12:37.72\00:12:40.36
and we've got no way
to grasp the possibility
00:12:40.36\00:12:43.16
of existing without time.
00:12:43.16\00:12:46.29
Them to make
matters more complicated,
00:12:46.29\00:12:49.40
God says He's not restricted
by spatial constraints either.
00:12:49.40\00:12:52.90
I mean, look in the hundred
00:12:52.90\00:12:55.54
and 39th Psalm, this
is what David writes,
00:12:55.54\00:12:58.87
"Where can I go
from your spirit?
00:12:58.87\00:13:00.71
Where can I flee
from your presence?
00:13:00.71\00:13:02.31
If I ascend into
heaven, you are there.
00:13:02.31\00:13:04.58
If I make my bed in
hell, behold you are there.
00:13:04.58\00:13:07.12
If I take the
wings of the morning
00:13:07.12\00:13:08.85
and dwell in the uttermost
parts of the sea, even there,
00:13:08.85\00:13:11.92
your hand shall lead me, and
your right hand shall hold me."
00:13:11.92\00:13:16.29
So God defines
Himself as being both eternal
00:13:16.29\00:13:19.66
and omnipresent.
00:13:19.66\00:13:21.86
He is not a mere creature.
00:13:21.86\00:13:23.67
He is the creator
of everything else.
00:13:23.67\00:13:26.57
Everything that
exists including us,
00:13:26.57\00:13:29.77
is dependent on Him
for continued existence.
00:13:29.77\00:13:33.14
When he was visiting the
city of Athens, Paul explained
00:13:34.54\00:13:36.81
to a gathering of philosophers
that we should never think
00:13:36.81\00:13:40.02
of God in terms
of mere physicality.
00:13:40.02\00:13:42.85
I mean here, listen to
what Paul actually said.
00:13:42.85\00:13:46.22
"God, who made the world
00:13:46.22\00:13:48.16
and everything in it,
00:13:48.16\00:13:49.42
since He is the
Lord of heaven and earth,
00:13:49.42\00:13:51.39
does not dwell in
temples made with hands,
00:13:51.39\00:13:54.03
nor is He
worshiped with men's hands
00:13:54.03\00:13:56.10
as though He needed
anything since He gives
00:13:56.10\00:13:58.47
to all life
breath and all things.
00:13:58.47\00:14:00.90
And He is made from one
blood every nation of men
00:14:00.90\00:14:03.34
to dwell on all
the face of the earth
00:14:03.34\00:14:05.21
and has determined
their pre-appointed times
00:14:05.21\00:14:07.68
and the
boundaries of their dwellings
00:14:07.68\00:14:09.81
so that they should
seek the Lord in the hope
00:14:09.81\00:14:12.11
that they might
grope for Him and find Him.
00:14:12.11\00:14:14.52
Though He is not far from
each one of us, for in Him,
00:14:14.52\00:14:18.35
we live and move
and have our being.
00:14:18.35\00:14:20.96
As also some of
your own poets have said,
00:14:20.96\00:14:23.56
'For we are
also his offspring.'"
00:14:23.56\00:14:26.86
The Bible insists over and over
00:14:26.86\00:14:28.56
and over that
God is self-existent.
00:14:28.56\00:14:32.17
He doesn't
depend on anything else.
00:14:32.17\00:14:34.07
That's why Paul
told these philosophers
00:14:34.07\00:14:35.97
that God doesn't need anything,
00:14:35.97\00:14:38.47
more than that,
we need something.
00:14:38.47\00:14:41.41
We need the existence of
God in order to exist ourselves.
00:14:41.41\00:14:45.08
"In Him, we live and
move and have our being,"
00:14:45.08\00:14:48.82
Which means that you and
I are completely dependent.
00:14:48.82\00:14:51.55
If God didn't
exist, neither would you.
00:14:51.55\00:14:55.02
I submit to you that this would
give God at least a modicum
00:14:55.02\00:14:58.19
of authority over us.
00:14:58.19\00:14:59.73
We have no other way to survive
00:14:59.73\00:15:01.60
and aligning our lives
with the will of the one
00:15:01.60\00:15:04.00
who made us would easily be
the smartest course of action.
00:15:04.00\00:15:08.60
But you know, there's
still a big part of us
00:15:08.60\00:15:10.91
that squirms when we hear that
00:15:10.91\00:15:12.81
because it feels like a
constraint on our liberty.
00:15:12.81\00:15:16.24
And again, that's really
where a lot of people's issue
00:15:17.55\00:15:19.95
with God comes from.
00:15:19.95\00:15:21.82
We feel like He
doesn't give us a choice.
00:15:21.82\00:15:25.12
But the real
question today is whether
00:15:25.12\00:15:26.76
or not that's true, is
God some kind of angry tyrant
00:15:26.76\00:15:29.59
that just dictates
00:15:29.59\00:15:32.06
or does the Bible
reveal something different?
00:15:32.06\00:15:34.93
Let me show you
something really interesting
00:15:34.93\00:15:36.67
I found in the
book of Revelation,
00:15:36.67\00:15:38.60
a passage that
summarizes the source
00:15:38.60\00:15:41.00
and reason for God's
authority very nicely.
00:15:41.00\00:15:44.31
This takes place during a vision
00:15:44.31\00:15:45.71
of the throne room in heaven
00:15:45.71\00:15:47.01
where heavenly
creatures are worshiping God.
00:15:47.01\00:15:49.41
We'll pick it up
now in Revelation 4:8,
00:15:49.41\00:15:52.11
where it says, "The
four living creatures,
00:15:52.11\00:15:54.75
each having six wings were
full of eyes around and within,
00:15:54.75\00:15:58.35
and they do not
rest day or night saying,
00:15:58.35\00:16:00.49
'Holy, holy, holy,
Lord, God Almighty,
00:16:00.49\00:16:03.86
who was and is and is to come.'"
00:16:03.86\00:16:07.60
So there you have it again,
00:16:07.60\00:16:08.86
this idea that
God is self-existent
00:16:08.86\00:16:10.80
and eternal, the one who
was and is and is to come.
00:16:10.80\00:16:15.40
God is the summary of all
time the past, the present,
00:16:15.40\00:16:18.24
the future, and
it says He's holy,
00:16:18.24\00:16:21.48
which means He's different.
00:16:21.48\00:16:23.08
The Greek word is
hagios, which is used
00:16:23.08\00:16:25.78
to describe something set
apart as distinct and special.
00:16:25.78\00:16:29.58
It's actually the
same word the Bible uses
00:16:29.58\00:16:31.35
to describe the saints,
which are people set apart
00:16:31.35\00:16:34.29
for God's holy purpose.
00:16:34.29\00:16:36.62
Then it tells us why God
is deserving of our worship,
00:16:36.62\00:16:40.26
but because I have
to live inside time,
00:16:40.26\00:16:43.10
you're gonna have to hang tight.
00:16:43.10\00:16:44.63
I gotta take a break and
I'll be right back after this.
00:16:44.63\00:16:48.20
[soft music]
00:16:48.20\00:16:50.67
- [Announcer] Life
can throw a lot at us.
00:16:51.81\00:16:53.88
Sometimes we don't
have all the answers,
00:16:53.88\00:16:57.55
but that's where
the Bible comes in.
00:16:57.55\00:17:00.05
It's our guide to a
more fulfilling life.
00:17:00.05\00:17:03.08
Here at the Voice of Prophecy,
00:17:03.08\00:17:04.65
we've created the
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00:17:04.65\00:17:06.82
to be your guide to the Bible.
00:17:06.82\00:17:08.39
They're designed to
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00:17:08.39\00:17:10.89
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00:17:17.83\00:17:21.04
- In Revelation chapter four,
00:17:21.04\00:17:22.60
the apostle John gets to
witness the throne room of God
00:17:22.60\00:17:25.81
and He sees these
heavenly creatures engaged
00:17:25.81\00:17:28.41
in the act of worship,
00:17:28.41\00:17:30.48
just before the break,
we left off at verse eight.
00:17:30.48\00:17:32.91
So now let's pick it up
again beginning in verse nine,
00:17:32.91\00:17:35.82
where it says,
"Whenever the living creatures
00:17:35.82\00:17:38.12
give glory and
honor and thanks to him
00:17:38.12\00:17:40.29
who sits on the throne,
00:17:40.29\00:17:41.62
who lives forever and ever,"
00:17:41.62\00:17:43.49
and there's that
concept of eternity again,
00:17:43.49\00:17:46.46
"The 24 elders fall down before
Him who sits on the throne
00:17:46.46\00:17:49.66
and worship Him who
lives forever and ever,
00:17:49.66\00:17:52.13
and cast the crowns
before the throne saying,"
00:17:52.13\00:17:55.87
here it comes,
00:17:55.87\00:17:57.47
The reason the Bible says, God
possesses ultimate authority,
00:17:57.47\00:18:00.58
"'You are worthy, oh
Lord, to receive glory and honor
00:18:00.58\00:18:04.15
and power for
you, created all things
00:18:04.15\00:18:07.12
and by your will, they
exist and were created.'"
00:18:07.12\00:18:11.52
All comes down
to the same concept.
00:18:11.52\00:18:13.46
The universe belongs
to God because He made it,
00:18:13.46\00:18:16.09
it's just common sense.
00:18:16.09\00:18:17.96
If God wasn't still
holding this place together,
00:18:17.96\00:18:20.36
you and I would no longer exist.
00:18:20.36\00:18:22.50
and you'll find that
same idea over in the book
00:18:22.50\00:18:24.80
of Colossians, chapter 1:17,
00:18:24.80\00:18:27.57
where Paul says
this about Jesus,
00:18:27.57\00:18:30.14
"For by Him,"
00:18:30.14\00:18:31.47
that's God the Son,
"All things were created
00:18:31.47\00:18:34.14
that are in heaven and
that are on earth, visible
00:18:34.14\00:18:37.15
and invisible,
whether thrones or dominions
00:18:37.15\00:18:39.51
or principalities or
powers, all things were created
00:18:39.51\00:18:43.05
through Him and for Him."
00:18:43.05\00:18:45.49
And now comes
the important part,
00:18:45.49\00:18:46.99
"And He is before all things.
00:18:46.99\00:18:49.72
And in Him all things consist."
00:18:49.72\00:18:53.09
Now, if God is real
00:18:53.09\00:18:55.00
and He did make this universe,
00:18:55.00\00:18:57.20
then we would be
accountable to Him.
00:18:57.20\00:18:59.47
But again, there's
something about our nature
00:18:59.47\00:19:01.64
that makes us
push back against that,
00:19:01.64\00:19:04.11
we don't like
somebody telling us what
00:19:04.11\00:19:05.94
to do or how to live.
00:19:05.94\00:19:07.41
And it's starting to look like
00:19:07.41\00:19:08.78
with every passing generation,
00:19:08.78\00:19:10.38
our resistance
to God's authority
00:19:10.38\00:19:12.38
is getting more
and more visceral.
00:19:12.38\00:19:15.38
But what if we're wrong?
00:19:16.45\00:19:18.45
What if that resistance to
God is actually ill-informed?
00:19:18.45\00:19:21.86
We always seem to
push back the hardest
00:19:21.86\00:19:23.86
when we feel we're being
forced into doing something.
00:19:23.86\00:19:26.66
But what if God isn't coercive?
00:19:26.66\00:19:30.53
Let's go back to a story
we find in the book of Genesis
00:19:30.53\00:19:33.07
where the human race
first pushed back against God
00:19:33.07\00:19:36.04
and let's ask
just one easy question,
00:19:36.04\00:19:38.91
did God coerce the
human race to obey Him
00:19:38.91\00:19:42.11
or did He give them a choice?
00:19:42.11\00:19:45.11
Go and read the story carefully
because it's important.
00:19:45.11\00:19:48.18
He tells us what
his perspective was
00:19:48.18\00:19:50.35
and warned us that if
we disconnected from Him,
00:19:50.35\00:19:53.02
if we disobeyed, it
would lead to disaster.
00:19:53.02\00:19:55.79
But you'll notice in Genesis,
00:19:55.79\00:19:57.53
God doesn't force
us to do what He wants.
00:19:57.53\00:20:01.00
Read your way
through the whole Bible,
00:20:01.00\00:20:02.40
you'll start to see it.
00:20:02.40\00:20:04.03
Even though God
has ultimate authority
00:20:04.03\00:20:06.03
over absolutely everything,
00:20:06.03\00:20:07.94
he always seems
to give us a choice.
00:20:07.94\00:20:10.41
He values freedom of conscience,
00:20:10.41\00:20:12.34
and there's a really
good reason for that.
00:20:12.34\00:20:14.64
He's a God of relationships.
00:20:14.64\00:20:16.54
A God who made the human
race is companions for Himself.
00:20:16.54\00:20:20.78
What He wanted was a
voluntary relationship.
00:20:20.78\00:20:23.52
The same way you want
voluntary relationships.
00:20:23.52\00:20:27.22
You don't want people to drop by
00:20:27.22\00:20:28.66
and visit you out of a
sense of obligation or guilt
00:20:28.66\00:20:31.46
because that would
be kind of meaningless.
00:20:31.46\00:20:33.80
But when somebody
calls or drops by the house
00:20:33.80\00:20:36.03
because they want to,
well, that's pretty rewarding.
00:20:36.03\00:20:39.23
What you find in
the Bible is a God
00:20:40.30\00:20:42.14
who weeps over
his lost children,
00:20:42.14\00:20:44.11
a God who begs us to
return and voluntarily come back
00:20:44.11\00:20:47.48
to a meaningful relationship.
00:20:47.48\00:20:49.61
God has all the
authority in the universe,
00:20:49.61\00:20:52.05
but He chooses to win
us instead of force us.
00:20:52.05\00:20:56.38
And I know the Bible
also describes an unhappy fate
00:20:56.38\00:20:59.02
for those who
ultimately reject God,
00:20:59.02\00:21:01.19
but that also
bears up under scrutiny.
00:21:01.19\00:21:03.76
I think I've read this
passage before on the show,
00:21:03.76\00:21:05.99
but listen to this
fantastic statement
00:21:05.99\00:21:09.10
from the book of Ezekiel.
00:21:09.10\00:21:11.00
"'Say to them," God says,
"'as I live says the Lord God,
00:21:11.00\00:21:14.04
I have no pleasure in
the death of the wicked,
00:21:14.04\00:21:16.87
but that the wicked
would turn from his way
00:21:16.87\00:21:18.74
and live, turn,
turn from her evil ways
00:21:18.74\00:21:21.31
for why should you
die, O, house of Israel?'"
00:21:21.31\00:21:24.78
Does that sound like a God who
can't wait to get rid of you?
00:21:26.25\00:21:29.28
Or does that sound
like a broken-hearted father
00:21:29.28\00:21:31.79
hoping his children
will finally come home?
00:21:31.79\00:21:34.62
If this is who God is, in
addition to being the source
00:21:34.62\00:21:39.26
of all life, tell me He
doesn't have a legitimate
00:21:39.26\00:21:42.30
claim on our lives.
00:21:42.30\00:21:44.50
But then how do you explain
the ultimate fate of the wicked?
00:21:46.00\00:21:48.24
Well, we should
probably dedicate a whole show
00:21:48.24\00:21:50.54
to that subject because
I think you'll be surprised
00:21:50.54\00:21:52.81
by what the Bible actually
says and what it doesn't.
00:21:52.81\00:21:56.64
But to summarize it, what
you have in the end is a group
00:21:56.64\00:21:59.65
of people who are hell
bent on destroying themselves.
00:21:59.65\00:22:02.95
God knows they're never going
00:22:02.95\00:22:04.82
to escape their lives of misery.
00:22:04.82\00:22:06.55
They're never gonna
escape the pain and suffering
00:22:06.55\00:22:08.66
that comes with
detaching yourself from God.
00:22:08.66\00:22:11.03
So what alternatives
would a loving God have?
00:22:11.03\00:22:15.26
He's not gonna force us
to spend eternity with Him
00:22:15.26\00:22:17.60
because if you don't love God
00:22:17.60\00:22:19.33
or enjoy Him, that
would just be torture.
00:22:19.33\00:22:22.57
So what choice
does God really have?
00:22:22.57\00:22:25.81
I'll be right back after this.
00:22:25.81\00:22:28.04
[gentle music]
00:22:28.04\00:22:30.85
- [Announcer] Dragons,
beasts, cryptic statues,
00:22:30.85\00:22:35.55
Bible prophecy can be
incredibly vivid and confusing.
00:22:35.55\00:22:40.49
If you've ever read
Daniel, a revelation
00:22:40.49\00:22:42.69
and come away scratching
your head, you are not alone.
00:22:42.69\00:22:45.73
Our free focus on
prophecy guides are designed
00:22:45.73\00:22:48.36
to help you unlock
the mysteries of the Bible
00:22:48.36\00:22:51.00
and deepen your
understanding of God's plan
00:22:51.00\00:22:53.40
for you and our world.
00:22:53.40\00:22:55.07
Study online or
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00:22:55.07\00:22:57.51
and start bringing
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00:22:57.51\00:23:00.78
- You know, over the centuries,
00:23:00.78\00:23:02.28
a lot of people have really
done God a huge disservice
00:23:02.28\00:23:04.78
by the way they talk about Him.
00:23:04.78\00:23:06.85
The God of medieval
Europe sounded vengeful,
00:23:06.85\00:23:09.52
a little like Thor or Ode
00:23:09.52\00:23:11.32
and a God who is eager
00:23:11.32\00:23:12.89
to shower destruction
on people He didn't like.
00:23:12.89\00:23:15.99
The only way you'll ever get
00:23:15.99\00:23:17.19
to heaven they
preached is on some kind
00:23:17.19\00:23:18.89
of legal technicality
where God has to take you
00:23:18.89\00:23:22.00
because of Jesus.
00:23:22.00\00:23:23.26
There's no way He wants you,
00:23:23.26\00:23:25.20
but the technicality of
the cross leaves Him no choice.
00:23:25.20\00:23:28.74
Now, tragically,
we're still kind of living
00:23:28.74\00:23:30.87
with that picture of God,
00:23:30.87\00:23:32.41
and that's still the way a
lot of people think about Him.
00:23:32.41\00:23:35.91
But something Jesus
said contradicts that.
00:23:35.91\00:23:39.05
In John 16:27, he said, "For
the Father Himself loves you."
00:23:39.05\00:23:43.82
And then of course,
00:23:43.82\00:23:45.19
we have that really
famous passage from John 3:16,
00:23:45.19\00:23:48.66
the one you see on
placards at football games
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where Jesus described our
situation like this by saying,
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"For God so loved the world
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that He gave his
only begotten son,
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that whoever believes
in Him should not perish
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but have everlasting life.
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For God did not send
his son into the world
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to condemn the world,
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but that the world
through Him might be saved."
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The truth of the matter
is that God is not trying
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to keep you out of his kingdom.
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He's doing
everything He can to get you in.
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And at the end of the day,
if you're just not interested,
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you still don't want God,
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he's not gonna let you continue
to reap the consequences
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of sin and keep living
this tortured existence
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forever and ever.
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And I realize a lot of
people talk about the fire
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and brimstone of God,
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but sometimes they miss
one really important detail,
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there's no question that
God really does eventually
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push the reset
button here on this planet
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because he's had enough
of the pain and suffering.
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And honestly, I'm looking
forward to the big reset,
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but pay careful attention to
what the Bible actually says.
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Listen to this,
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"But the wicked shall perish
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and the enemies of the
Lord, like the splendor
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of the meadows,
shall vanish into smoke.
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They shall vanish away."
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Now, you tell me, does
that sound like God wants
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to torture folks throughout
the ceaseless ages of eternity?
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Pick up a Bible, read your way
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through the whole thing sometime
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and look for the
passage that says,
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God intends to
torture you forever
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because you
didn't do things his way.
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What you will find is God
describing his ultimate solution
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as lasting forever and ever,
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but the people perish.
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The Bible says they're devoured
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and that they vanish like smoke.
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And in a moment ago when we read
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that famous verse from
John 3:16, what did it say?
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Whoever believes in
Him should not perish,
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but have everlasting life.
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There's nothing there to suggest
a cruel or vindictive God.
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So yeah, when people tell me
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that they've been
put in charge of my life,
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I'm always gonna
push back on that.
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Demanding obedience
from your fellow human beings
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and using God's name to do it,
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That's not legitimate,
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and you have my full permission
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to ignore the bullies at church.
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But when I see how God
exercises his authority,
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when I see that he's
patient and loving and merciful,
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and He always gives me a
choice in spite of who I am
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or what I might
actually deserve,
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that's the kind of
authority I want to respond to
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because I can see for
myself that God was willing
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to sacrifice
Himself to put everything,
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absolutely everything
on the line for the sake
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of saving a guy like me.
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I know you've heard a
lot of stories about God.
00:26:46.80\00:26:49.80
You've heard a lot of
stories about religion.
00:26:49.80\00:26:52.07
You've been told by all kinds
of people what this book says,
00:26:52.07\00:26:54.84
but don't you think it
might be time to pick up a copy
00:26:54.84\00:26:57.55
of the Bible for
yourself and read it?
00:26:57.55\00:27:02.62
If you don't know where to
start, don't know how to start,
00:27:03.99\00:27:05.22
give me a call, contact me.
00:27:05.22\00:27:07.09
Go to my website vop.com,
00:27:07.09\00:27:09.16
or better yet, go
to biblestudies.com.
00:27:09.16\00:27:11.66
I've got free
courses, yes, absolutely free,
00:27:11.66\00:27:15.20
it's hard to beat that price.
00:27:15.20\00:27:16.63
We'll show you how to
study all the major themes
00:27:16.63\00:27:19.30
of the Bible, how to
get into the word of God.
00:27:19.30\00:27:21.60
And I guarantee that most
00:27:21.60\00:27:23.61
of you are gonna find
unbelievably good news in this
00:27:23.61\00:27:27.61
book. Yes, God is just,
00:27:27.61\00:27:29.91
but this whole
book, 66 books of it,
00:27:29.91\00:27:33.11
it's all the story of God
doing everything in his power
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to make sure you
are fully restored
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and you end up in his kingdom.
00:27:38.52\00:27:40.62
It's the story of a God of love
00:27:40.62\00:27:43.53
and that God can have all
the authority over my life
00:27:43.53\00:27:47.00
that He would like and deserves.
00:27:47.00\00:27:49.53
Thanks for joining
me again this week,
00:27:49.53\00:27:50.93
I'm Shawn Boonstra.
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This has been
another episode of Authentic.
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[snappy guitar music]
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